Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

JJ is correct and wrong at the same time

I’m unsure if you saw this, on one of the plethora of ESPN programs JJ Redick made this statement regarding Ja Morant. I am paraphrasing his comment, it’s not intended to be word for word, Redick was addressing the second gun incident. He said, “There is nothing against the law in owning a handgun.” Redick is correct, in the majority of 50 States there is no provision preventing someone from owning or in some instances carrying a weapon concealed.   

Redick is correct with his comment, wanna know where he’s wrong? The following statement I located on line and you can research too if you desire. “The NBA has a strict anti-gun policy; players are required to notify teams if they own a gun, and they are forbidden from possessing guns in various circumstances.” Should we guess “various circumstances” riding in an automobile might be okay. We suppose strip clubs might be a NO-NO, now I cannot be for sure.

Will his name be called?

Has Emoni Bates “played” his way into the 2023 draft? We actually will have no idea until June 22, 2023, the date of the draft. I was pleased reading one of those assessing Bates indicated his game was impacted playing on a poor Eastern Michigan team. When you are the only offense for a team it certainly places a great deal more pressure on you to score. One of the reports indicate Bate’s impressed some in the recently held NBA Draft Combine.

Those attending the Draft Combine in addition to drills and team play measurements are also taken. It should be of note, Bates is not as tall as indicated, he stands 6 foot 8 inches barefooted and 179 pounds. Kevin Durant managed to play small forward in the NBA but weighed more than Bates. With him being slight in weight it says to me shooting guard over play small forward in the NBA. The indication is Bates will be a mid-second round choice, if not drafted expect to see him in somebody’s training camp signed as a free agent.

What he said

Scoot Henderson G-League Team Elite believes he should be the top draft pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. No argument from me he appears to be a super talented combo guard, there are potential issues which might present problems. Henderson stands 6 foot 2, scouts consider that a conceivable problem for him defending taller guards and on switches. So what occurs in June for the talented Scoot, he probably slides down a bit through no fault of his own. The Hornets with the second pick have LaMelo Ball as their point, they could draft Scott and give the ball to him.

Melo moves over and becomes a shooting guard with point guard skills. On the other hand with Melo in the backcourt they might choose to go bigger and draft Brandon Miller late of Alabama. That would make Henderson available to the Blazers, would they make that move with Dame Lillard in the backcourt. Next up the Rockets and Pistons, let’s take a look at their prospective guards at present. Kevin Porter and Killian Hayes are established at the point with the Rockets and Pistons although it certainly neither is set in stone at the position. As you can see through no fault of his own, we cannot determine where Henderson might eventually land.  

Bits n Pieces 

This is titled The saga of Seth Towns, don’t worry if the name is unfamiliar to you, it was for me as well. Towns announced he will entered Howard University in the fall for his 8^th season. Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you the 2023-24 season will be number 8 as a player. Apparently, Towns is a good player he was Ivy League Player of the Year at one point, besides that how is he in college that length of time? Are there not eligibility rules preventing this type of sports enrollment? Injuries, that is the issue that’s managed to keep the 26-year-old in college. He’s not played since the 2020-21 season due to injury, so this is how he is able to maintain his eligibility.      

Did you read or hear Bryce James, youngest son of LeBron is transferring from Sierra Canyon HS. This past season he was a teammate with older brother Bronny, as you are aware Bronny is now headed for Southern Cal University. Bryce is on the move as well; he’s headed for Campbell Hall HS in the fall. I’ve read reports and I’m sure you have also indicated Bryce might be a better basketball prospect than his brother. If nothing else Bryce certainly has an advantage in height, Bronny is close to 6 foot 3 while Bryce is almost as tall as dad standing 6 foot 6.

This is a correction to an earlier story regarding the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s arena. Swinney Gym, the present home of Kansas City basketball was built in 1941 as reported in the prior account. Games were “farmed” out to several arenas around the metro while a portion of refurbishing was occurring for Swinney. This even includes the Kansas City games being played in the downtown Municipal Auditorium about 5 miles or so north of the midtown campus. A 5,000 seat arena for basketball is the correct size unless you are a Kentucky or Carolina. Memphis University plays its games in FedEx Forum with its 19,000 capacity far too large in my opinion for the majority of colleges.

Technically speaking the 1949-50 season is the first year of the National Basketball Association, others look at 1946 as the beginning. Perhaps the earlier date is used by some because three original teams are still operating today. They are the Knicks, Celtics and Warriors although the latter was then in Philadelphia. The teams named were in the Basketball Association of America, teams in the National Basketball League merged with the BAA to form the NBA we recognize today. In that time two adversaries the Celtics and Lakers are tied for most championships in the history with 16 wins apiece. Neither team will break the tie in 2023 as both are 0-3 in the semi-finals as this is written.